Hacker News with Generative AI: Saudi Arabia

The Khashoggi Compromise (status.news)
Earlier this week, Amazon announced a $5 billion “strategic partnership” with Humain, a Saudi artificial intelligence initiative backed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Artificial Intelligence, Saudi Arabia, Technology, Politics, Journalism

10 points by archagon 6 days ago | 1 comments

US tech titans rejoice in $600B Saudi shopping spree (theregister.com)
The Saudi government on Tuesday announced a massive $600 billion investment in US defense, transportation, energy, and IT infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia, Investments, Technology, Defense, Infrastructure

11 points by rntn 9 days ago | 0 comments

Pope addressed AI as a matter of concern (apnews.com)
Trump and Saudi crown prince sign a host of agreements as US leader begins 4-day Mideast tour

Pope, Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Saudi Arabia, Politics

5 points by MarcoDewey 10 days ago | 0 comments

Saudi businesses turn to solar power as kingdom cuts energy subsidies (ft.com)

Saudi Arabia, Energy, Solar Power, Business, Finance

5 points by rustoo 32 days ago | 1 comments

Saudi Aramco chief says DeepSeek AI makes 'big difference' to operations (ft.com)
Saudi Aramco chief says DeepSeek AI makes ‘big difference’ to operations

Artificial Intelligence, Saudi Arabia, Business

6 points by ViktorRay 66 days ago | 1 comments

Saudi Arabia's Megaproject Disaster (Patrick Boyle YouTube) [video] (youtube.com)

Saudi Arabia, Megaprojects, Disaster, YouTube, Videos

4 points by tim333 69 days ago | 1 comments

Pokemon Go developer sold to Saudi Arabian-owned Scopely for $3.5B (nianticlabs.com)
Today we’re announcing changes at Niantic that will set us on a bold new course.

Gaming, Acquisitions, Saudi Arabia

13 points by brandrick 72 days ago | 0 comments

Pokémon Go developer Niantic to sell gaming business to Saudi group (theverge.com)
Niantic Labs has announced that it’s selling its video game division to Saudi Arabia-owned mobile developer Scopely for $3.5 billion after struggling to replicate the success of Pokémon Go across its other AR games.

Gaming, Acquisitions, Saudi Arabia, Mobile Games

7 points by donohoe 72 days ago | 0 comments

Neom is reportedly turning into a financial disaster, except for McKinsey and Co (techcrunch.com)
A new WSJ report suggests that Saudi Arabia’s now eight-year-old Neom project — a futuristic, carbon-neutral, 105-mile-long linear city envisioned by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — has become a financial sinkhole.

Saudi Arabia, Financial News, Real Estate, Megacity Projects

6 points by haltingproblem 73 days ago | 0 comments

The Nabataeans Are Coming (historytoday.com)
The volte face has been astonishing. Until 2017, or thereabouts, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was seen as the hallmark of Islamic puritanism, where compulsorily veiled women were forbidden to travel without their male guardian’s permission, shops closed during prayer time, and the ‘religious police’ brandished canes to marshal the faithful into mosques.

Middle East, History, Saudi Arabia, Culture

42 points by diodorus 83 days ago | 14 comments

'Pokémon Go' Maker Nears $3.5B Deal to Sell Games Unit (bloomberg.com)
Niantic Inc., the company behind the 2016 hit Pokémon Go, is in talks to sell its video-game business to Saudi Arabia-owned Scopely Inc., according to several people familiar with the discussions.

Video Games, Business, Acquisitions, Saudi Arabia

22 points by bookofjoe 93 days ago | 12 comments

Pokémon Go Maker Niantic in Talks to Sell Games Unit to Scopely (bloomberg.com)
Niantic Inc., the company behind the 2016 hit Pokémon Go, is in talks to sell its video-game business to Saudi Arabia-owned Scopely Inc., according to several people familiar with the discussions.

Gaming, Acquisitions, Saudi Arabia

7 points by tlyleung 93 days ago | 2 comments

BYD Lands 12.5GWh Deal with Saudi Electricity Company (energy-storage.news)
EV and BESS firm BYD has agreed a major order from the Saudi Electricity Company, the state utility and transmission & distribution (T&D) system operator of Saudi Arabia.

Energy, Batteries, Saudi Arabia, Electric Vehicles

35 points by toomuchtodo 94 days ago | 1 comments

Hans Zimmer in Talks to Re-Create Saudi Arabia's National Anthem (hollywoodreporter.com)
How about the Hans Zimmer “bwong” sound in a national anthem? It could happen, with reports coming out of Saudi Arabia that the Oscar-winning composer is in talks to create, or re-create, the country’s national anthem.

Music, Saudi Arabia, Film, National Anthem

3 points by adrian_mrd 119 days ago | 0 comments

Forget jeansgate–Magnus Carlsen's deal with Saudi Arabia is the real story (sportspolitika.news)
While the chess world fixates on the FIDE jeansgate scandal, Carlsen quietly signed a deal to serve as Saudi Arabia's "global ambassador" for the 2025 Esports World Cup.

Chess, Sports, Saudi Arabia, Sponsorship, Esports

15 points by mellosouls 144 days ago | 5 comments

Epic Construction Site in the Saudi Desert Is a Hazard for Workers (wsj.com)
Billed as a futuristic city-state with dazzling architecture including parallel 106-mile-long skyscrapers taller than the Empire State Building, Neom is the centerpiece of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to transform his oil-rich country into a modern diversified economy.

Saudi Arabia, Construction, Architecture, Labor, Economy

5 points by Jimmc414 145 days ago | 0 comments

Financially, Saudi Arabia is flying by the seat of its pants. But how longer? (middleeasteye.net)
Saudi Arabia's most extravagant and outrageous giga-project - the futuristic city called "Neom", carved out of the country's northwest border region - is trying a reboot after funding and other challenges over the past year appeared to put key elements of Neom in jeopardy.

Saudi Arabia, Economics, Construction, Future Cities

3 points by Qem 146 days ago | 1 comments

Workers in Saudi Arabia say Amazon failed to compensate them for labor abuses (theguardian.com)
In February, one of the world’s richest employers, Amazon, announced it had refunded nearly $2m to more than 700 overseas workers who had been forced to pay big recruiting fees to get work at the company’s warehouses in Saudi Arabia.

Labor Abuse, Saudi Arabia, Amazon, Compensation, Overseas Workers

6 points by rntn 154 days ago | 0 comments

Neom CEO departs as Saudi Arabia scales back mega-projects (theguardian.com)
Nadhmi al-Nasr, the longtime chief executive of the $500bn Saudi development project Neom launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has departed, according to a Neom statement issued on Tuesday that did not give a reason for the departure.

Saudi Arabia, Business, Leadership, Mega-Projects, Development

5 points by tromp 190 days ago | 0 comments

Saudi Arabia's Al-Jawf Desert Region Sees Historic Snowfall (weather.com)

Saudi Arabia, Weather, Climate, Desert, Snow

8 points by neom 194 days ago | 0 comments

Saudi government plans $100B AI and data infrastructure group (middleeastainews.com)
Bloomberg confirms rumours about 'Project Transcendence'

Artificial Intelligence, Government, Saudi Arabia, Technology, Infrastructure

5 points by AnhTho_FR 197 days ago | 0 comments

21,000 Killed Working on Saudi Megaprojects During Construction: Report (newsweek.com)
Thousands of workers have reportedly been killed or have gone missing during the construction of several megaprojects in Saudi Arabia.

Construction, Saudi Arabia, Labor Rights, Accidents, Human Rights

5 points by dtquad 204 days ago | 1 comments

Saudi Arabian Neom project 'uses one fifth of world's steel' (agbi.com)
The Neom giga-project in Saudi Arabia is currently using one fifth of all the steel produced in the world, an official said on Monday.

Saudi Arabia, Construction, Megaprojects, Environment, Resources

25 points by Ozarkian 216 days ago | 49 comments

Egypt, Saudi Arabia push ahead with $1.8B electricity interconnector project (zawya.com)
Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Essmat has reiterated his commitment to completing the Saudi-Egypt electricity interconnector project by early summer 2024, emphasising the importance of close collaboration and coordination between all involved parties.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Electricity, Infrastructure, International Cooperation

8 points by eatonphil 224 days ago | 0 comments

The Line (and why it's bad) (urbanproxima.com)
The Line is the mega-city of the future, or so Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman (aka MBS) would have us believe. Part of the Saudi government’s Vision 2030 initiative, the project originally claimed it could spin up a 9 million-person city in the middle of the desert.

Urban Planning, Saudi Arabia, Technology, Future Cities

7 points by paulpauper 234 days ago | 0 comments

Saudi Officials May Have Deliberately Assisted 9/11 Hijackers: New Evidence (propublica.org)
From the start of U.S. investigations into the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the question of whether the Saudi government might have been involved has hovered over the case.

Politics, Terrorism, 9/11, Saudi Arabia, Investigations

13 points by howard941 254 days ago | 9 comments

World’s Biggest Construction Project Is a Magnet for Executives Behaving Badly (wsj.com)
Neom executives were summoned to the office to manage a crisis: Three workers had recently died toiling on the world’s biggest construction project.

Construction, Business Ethics, Saudi Arabia, Megaprojects

5 points by impish9208 254 days ago | 1 comments

New 9/11 Evidence Revives Questions About Hijackers' Saudi Ties (nytimes.com)

9/11, Saudi Arabia, Conspiracy Theories, International Relations, History

29 points by howard941 286 days ago | 11 comments

Saudi Arabia to get first alcohol shop in more than 70 years (bbc.com)

Saudi Arabia, Alcohol, Culture, Social Change, History

4 points by thunderbong 315 days ago | 1 comments

New 9/11 Evidence Points to Deep Saudi Complicity (theatlantic.com)

9/11, Saudi Arabia, History, Politics

43 points by racional 361 days ago | 9 comments